“The club won me over straight away because they wanted to begin a new era with me. The President had seen many of our games in the NextGen Series and not just the Final.

“They made me sign a parachute contract and I was very relaxed if this experience were to go wrong,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.

Stramaccioni has been compared to Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas Boas, as his playing career was cut short by injury.

“I would’ve liked to be a professional player, as that was my dream, but I never saw football as a career. It was my passion and at the same time I studied to get my degree.

“Since I was a kid I always tried to ‘steal’ secrets by studying the Roma youth team Coaches. Then they called me to the FIGC and ArrigoSacchi said wonderful things when watching my teams. Sacchi was an icon for me.”

The high point of his senior Inter career so far was winning the derby 4-2, a result that ended Milan’s Scudetto hopes.

“An organised defensive move starts from the strikers and Wesley Sneijder was crucial for me in the derby.

“I always say either we push up to go get them or we stay really deep, so Wes can decide perfectly which is the best approach at any time. He did both phases very well in the derby and the team followed him.

“When there are corners in our favour, I bring out a player who can go closer to the flag, so I can draw one of the opposition out of the penalty area too.”

Douglas Maicon’s screamer was also decisive in that game and Stramaccioni reveals it was no coincidence.

“I’m happy to talk about that goal, as it is the most satisfying thing for a Coach. We practiced it to death in training and Maic always hit the bar, but he said: ‘Don’t worry, the goal is bigger at San Siro...’”

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